


Chat Burglar

by Hyghenia



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-16
Updated: 2020-01-16
Packaged: 2021-02-22 07:09:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22278688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hyghenia/pseuds/Hyghenia
Summary: Chat Noirs super-hero life has turned him into a snack-burglar after the sun goes down.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, marichat - Relationship
Kudos: 51





	1. Chat Burglar | 1

Chat padded onto the rooftop, feeling the uneven shingles underfoot. He looked swiftly around the rooftop to see if there were easy entrances he could use, and shifted around to look on the other edge. No chimneys he could wiggle into; but a terrace he could use to sneak in though!  
He cautiously made his way around to peer through the windows to see if there was anyone still up so late at night. All the lights were off, after all only those up to no good were still up this late.  
His feet hit the terrace and he leaned into the small door, it gave. Who bothered locking doors so high up after all-no one would be able to enter from such a height.  
Easing open the glass door he slowly crouched as it swung silently, padding slowly, cat ears swiveling round to hear any noise. Faint snores and peaceful breathing were all he picked up. Moving forward he stayed low, enjoying that whatever this room was, it was carpeted. Much comfier and much more stealthy.  
~~  
Marinette was slow to wake up. As always she refused the first sounds of morning and kept snoozing, till her waking brain struggled that something was up. She sighed lightly and slowly peaked her eyes open… dark? Getting more confused she turned over under her blankets, towards the wall to check her phone, 3am?  
~~  
Chat prowled low to the ground, letting his cat-eyes adjust to the even darker inside before he continued. He could see a desk and a craft area. He made his way over under the small indoor canopy to spy on what was being worked on. Who knew, maybe it would be a few laptops or some small music players. Better yet, some chocolate bars? Chat Noir didn’t have money. His civilian stuff had plenty, but his civilian self didn’t run across rooftops and fight big-bads that happened every week. And his dieticians didn’t know that.  
His night-time hunts began because he was just hungry. At first he didn’t know if it was his diet, or Plagg’s constant hunger that drew him to a food truck. But after he realized he didn’t have any money, he snatched one and ran. It was the best meal he’d had.  
And then he was hooked. He tried to take just food, snacks and treats that he wouldn’t be allowed during the day. But eventually he started taking small valuables, nothing that would be terribly missed, no priceless family heirlooms, just things to make it seem like robberies instead of a hungry superhero.  
~~  
A night-time breeze blew across the rooftops and over Marinette as she confusedly looked at her phone. She huffed, she must have left open the terrace door before going to bed, and the chilly air had finally woken her up. Huddling into her blankets she started to argue with herself that’d she be fine to just go back to bed. It was summer, the night air was cooler than it was in the day, but it wasn’t like it was a snowy breeze… right?  
~~  
Chat gazed over the desk and found a few cookies. Nibbling them he returned to his low crouch and continued to hunt round the room. After a few moments he decided his hunt would continue further into the house, something smelled very good through the door.  
~~  
Hearing her door open and close made Marinette question herself leaving the outside door open. That was well explained with her forgetfulness and a rush to get to bed. But she had done a patrol that night, her bedroom door should be shut, if not locked. Even a breeze wouldn’t be able to open and reclose it.  
She sat up in bed, confused, “Tikki…?”  
Tikki turned over in her own sleep next to Marinette. So, not Tikki looking for a midnight snack. And besides they kept some cookies on her desk for her little Kwami just for any midnight cravings she got.  
Marinette debated waking her kwami to have her protection while she hunted through whatever had just opened her door. But what would Tikki be able to do that wouldn’t give away Marinette’s secret life as Ladybug?  
So she sighed again and pushed off her warm blankets.  
It was probably just a half-dream making her think she’d heard something; and she was going to lose all of the night’s warmth she’d managed to work up on her sheets. But she wouldn’t be able to get to sleep again without double checking.  
~~  
Chat Noir made his way down a hallway and to the clean smell of a kitchen, jackpot! He didn’t normally make his way this far into the house but tonight was especially a struggle for him. As he grew closer to the fridge he began to lose some of his stealth, and his stomach seemed to sense the slack on his senses. It rumbled. Trying to clench off the growl, he tightened his belly and held it, wishing silence back upon the house. It didn’t help. But eventually, it did stop and he continued to the fridge.  
~~  
Marinette made her way down the hall slowly, on alert for nothing.  
But as she approached her families’ kitchen, there was more light than there should have been. Her face scrunched in confusion and worry. Why would someone be robbing their fridge? She eased to the corner before the kitchen counter, and slowly bent down to counter-height before edging round to peer over the edge to see... whatever she could.  
~~  
Opening the fridge Chat squinted into the bright fridge-light for a moment before feeling his face go slack. Was that, fresh-baked brownies? Probably left to cool overnight. But they wouldn’t make it that long.  
Chat practically lunged onto the small baking pan they were chilling in. Pre-cut brownie squares lined up on a row and they looked perfect. He gingerly picked up one on the edge. Slowly cradling it in both hands he brought the single brownie to his nose and breathed in. Self-teasing himself before he licked some of the crumbs off of his fingers. And then he took the first bite.  
As he dug in for a second bite the lights blared on and he heard a “Chat?”


	2. With Cherries on Top | 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being caught eating brownies, Marinette invites him to stay for more.

“Chat?” Marinette blurted out as she flipped the lights on. Yes... it was Chat Noir? The other half of the heroes of Paris… in her kitchen? Eating her brownies?  
If she hadn’t been catching him breaking and… snacking she would have laughed at the way his eyes burst wide, while his mouth stayed firmly bloated around the brownie stuffed into his mouth. At least before he tried to mutter something around the entire brownie he had stuffed into his face.  
As she watched Chat chew quickly she tried to figure out why he was in her house, and why he was stealing the brownies she had made for her classes almost-last-day party.   
~~  
“Uh…” Chat looked around as he tried to figure out a way to explain. Why did he not recognize that he was breaking into Marinette’s house? Of course it smelled good they lived above their bakery. Of course she had cookies in her room and brownies in the fridge! Growing more panicked he said exactly what he was thinking: “uhh!”  
To his surprise Marinette started laughing. Her whole body seemed to relax and she almost doubled over laughing. “Marinette!” He rushed over worried she had hit her head, after all who catches someone breaking in and stealing from their fridge and just laughs.  
As he touched her back looking for any blood, obviously she had hit her head! She waved him away and started giggling instead of the full-bellied laugh she’d been doing. Between chuckles she looked up towards his face.  
“You could have just asked for some!” Her whole face was alight with pure joy.  
He couldn’t help it, he started laughing too. The nerves of being caught, quiet in the act of stealing, and instead of yelling at him or calling the police on him, she was just laughing?  
As their giggles turned to the occasional chuckle they looked at each other again before breaking down laughing after seeing the crumbs still falling from Chat Noir's mouth. Eventually Marinette thought to just not-look at him to ask, “so… why is half of Paris’ superheroes stuffing his face with my brownies?”  
Chat Noir’s mood instantly settled again as he sighed. Looking down at her bed-ruffled hair he simply said, “I’m… hungry.”  
Marinette’s face was suddenly very close, she had turned so quickly and fiercely Chat worried she was on the way to scold him for stealing. After all it wasn’t legal. But she did something worse, she just glared intensely into his own face. Before her glare relaxed and she sighed again.  
“Well, we can’t let you go hungry!” She stood up from where they’d sunk to the floor laughing together and she brought the tray of brownies out. As she pulled out more and more toppings Chat made his way, slack-jawed to the other side of the kitchen island.  
His expression must have said something very eloquent like “What?” Because when Marinette turned to him on one of her topping drop-offs she smiled before saying,  
“Can’t let a stray go hungry right?” Before chuckling to herself and continuing her hunt for more treats. She finally ended her gathering by bringing out a half-filled gallon of milk, and grabbing two glasses.  
As she put away the jug again she also brought two plates from the cabinets, and started pilling her own with sweet things. Before putting two brownies on top of a few strawberries, and topping it all off with the whipped cream she had put out. She paused, still holding the can and admired her sugar tower. Satisfied, she smiled and looked to Chat, “going to make yourself a stack? Need any other toppings?”  
Chat’s head tilted appraising her and her plate, “uh… no this is… fine?”  
Marinette grabbed her plate and brought it around to the seating side of the island, and sat on the other side of him as she took a scoop of just whipped cream and hummed a happy tune to herself. Chat just stared at her, having a midnight snack with a robber wasn’t exactly a normal reaction.  
Slowly he put a single brownie onto the other plate she had brought out, and he took a single cherry out of the jar before he went to sit next to her. She turned one eyebrow up at him.  
“Do you not like brownies?” He looked back at her confused and shocked starting to splutter out something like ‘their great!’ But before he could start she stopped him with a look that usually only all-knowing mothers could give. “Chat, if you’re breaking into people’s houses just for food, you need more than a single brownie without any toppings.”  
He started at that, and said “I have a topping!” He gestured to the single, sad cherry he had added to the plate.  
She laughed at him again, this time a spurting, whipped creamy snort. Marinette held a hand in front of her mouth to stop any whipped cream from making its way out, “a squashed half-cherry from the jar does not count!”  
Chat blinked again shocked at Marinette, after all Adrien saw her stuttering and quiet, not the type of girl to catch a cat burglar and share a dessert with them. In a stunned silence he reached from some extra toppings. He focused hard on drowning every bit of the brownie in chocolate syrup. And after putting a small dollop of whipped cream onto it, he dug in. And then he had another and a third before he realized Marinette hadn’t had more herself, and was watching him eat his own. Instead of fully stopping though, he just slowed down to return her stare while he coated another square in chocolate syrup, and this time he put a few of the fruits she had brought out too, healthy.  
“So, you going to explain why you’re so hungry, or just go through my topping reserves?” Chat looked nervously up at her before seeing she was joking, at least joking about actually be upset about him eating all of her sweets. Marinette seemed genuinely worried about why he was in her kitchen in the first place.  
“Well,” he started to explain, trying to think of how to honestly explain why he’d be hungry, while also not giving away his secret identity. He wanted to know who Ladybug was without her mask, but the two of them were superheroes, he did understand that anyone who knew their secret would become a target for Hawkmoth. Even if he as Adrien only saw the quiet school girl side, he didn’t want to be the reason that Marinette would become a target. “I… my diet, it’s controlled.” He slowed down as he thought through his explanation, but Marinette was the one to continue;  
“And they don’t know about you jumping across rooftops.” Marinette sighed and slid further down in her stool, pushing her plate towards the center of the island. Chat fully paused on his late night treat, as he wondered at the girl he had thought he knew. Marinette sighed and sat up again, both hands on the counter she pushed against it to face him.  
She reached towards his hands and earnestly looked into his face, which still had a bit of chocolate syrup stuck around his mouth. Marinette smiled seeing the syrup leftovers and, holding both his hands, said, “you can come here whenever you need, ok?”


End file.
